Paper short abstract:

the paper explores the configurations of present-day homes of migrant families in diverse urban contexts. It examines modalities of dwelling, materiality and domestic consumption in order to discuss strategies of belonging and positioning in different time, economic and political frames.

Paper long abstract:

Places of dwelling and shelter, houses have always played other significant social tasks which defy the borders between the private and the public both in local and translocal contexts. The processes of home making, i.e. transforming houses into homes, are multifaceted and complex since they imply the accommodation of different logics that operate at various levels: emplacement, displacement, belonging, circulation, stasis, empowerment, positioning, identity making, cultural production and reproduction. Based on ethnographic materials collected in five different urban contexts (Lisbon, Porto, Rio de Janeiro Sao Paulo, and Toronto) this paper aims at discussing the configurations of present-day homes of a restrict group of migrant families, trough the exploration of new and ancient modalities of dwelling, material culture and domestic consumption, ritualized practices and management of memories and patrimonies. More specifically, and based on a comparative analysis of the paper will explore: how diverse movement experiences, marked by different political, economic and time frames, shape homes and design borders between private and public spheres; the importance of home in the management of diverse (e.g. gender, class) belonging and placement strategies; the material resources used in home making, and how these contribute to unfold ongoing everyday and structural transformations that affect the families migrant experiences.